Islamabad
The Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) has called for structural reforms in Pakistan’s automobile sector, with stakeholders stressing the need for a more competitive, transparent and performance-oriented Automobile Policy 2026-2031.
PIDE hosted a Stakeholders’ Consultative Roundtable bringing together policymakers, industry representatives and academicians to examine the evidence base for Pakistan’s forthcoming Automobile Policy and contribute to the development of a framework suited to the challenges facing the industry.
The discussion was based on the joint Policy Viewpoint, titled “Shifting Gears: Shaping Pakistan’s Next Automobile Policy,” prepared by PIDE’s Center for Industry, Commerce and Digital Economy (CICDE) and Center for Governance, Markets and Regulatory Analysis (CGMRA).
The roundtable focused on presenting and examining research evidence on Pakistan’s automobile sector, providing a structured platform for dialogue among government, industry and academia, and developing a shared understanding of key structural issues relating to market design, tariff rationalisation, vendor development and policy conditionality.
Opening remarks were delivered by Dr. Shahzada Naeem Nawaz, Professor of Economics and Director of Macro Policy Lab at PIDE, who welcomed the participants and highlighted the importance of evidence-based dialogue on the future of Pakistan’s automobile industry.
The session was moderated by Mr. Mohammad Shaaf Najib, Research Economist at CGMRA, PIDE, who provided context for the various themes discussed during the roundtable.
Dr. Usman Qadir, Senior Research Economist and Director of CICDE at PIDE, presented the key findings of PIDE’s research on the automobile sector.
He noted that although Pakistan’s automobile industry had established a meaningful foundation over the past two decades, with production capacity exceeding 500,000 units and more than fifteen assemblers operating in the market, production volumes, consumer affordability and vendor sector development had not kept pace with the expansion.
Dr. Qadir said the forthcoming Automobile Policy presents an important opportunity to move towards a retail sales model, strengthen vendor capabilities through clear technology transfer requirements and ensure that policy incentives are linked with measurable performance outcomes.
Industry representatives called for favourable and predictable tariff structures, greater policy consistency across successive governments and trade agreements that actively facilitate exports.
Mr. Aamir Allawala, Chief Executive Officer of Tecno Auto Glass Limited and former President of PAAPAM, identified high taxation, security-related constraints and an anti-export bias in the existing policy framework as major impediments to the growth of Pakistan’s automobile industry.
Stakeholders also called for greater transparency in the policy development process and stressed that the objectives and proposed content of the forthcoming Automobile Policy should be made publicly available for consultation before its finalisation.
Mr. Hasan Mian, CEO of YES Electromotive, described the PIDE roundtable as a highly fruitful consultative exercise on the future direction of Pakistan’s automobile sector.
Dr. Robina Ather, former Chairperson of the National Tariff Commission, said the National Tariff Policy 2025-2030 was designed to rationalise import tariffs across the broader economy and that its application to the automobile sector would require careful sequencing to effectively manage the adjustment process.
She observed that while tariffs are an important component of the forthcoming automobile policy, they are not the only issue requiring attention.
She stressed that the policy must address broader structural constraints affecting the growth and competitiveness of Pakistan’s automobile sector.
Participants appreciated PIDE’s efforts to bring policymakers, industry representatives and other stakeholders together for a meaningful and timely discussion on the future of the automobile industry.
